The Claim:
A tweet from anti-vaccine lawyer Aaron Siri claims that the CDC’s 2025 vaccine schedule has drastically increased from 7 routine childhood injections in 1986 to over 200 total routine injections for children, adults, and pregnant women, attributing this rise to vaccine manufacturers gaining immunity from liability under the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.
The Facts:
The suggestion is that there are too many vaccines given today, but we’d like to flip the question: which of the diseases we protect against are you happy for you and your family to get?
In 1986, we vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella. Today, we also protect against hepatitis b. rotavirus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, influenza, chickenpox, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and COVID.
Even with combination vaccines and boosters, the total number of injections from birth to age 18 is far fewer than the 200 claimed in the tweet. For example, by age 2, a child would typically receive approximately 27 injections, with many vaccines combining protection against multiple diseases.
Booster shots don’t add new antigens to your body; they just remind your immune system how to fight the ones you’ve already been exposed to. Counting boosters as new vaccines can give a false idea of how many different antigens you’re actually being exposed to. The increase in recommended vaccines is about using science to protect public health, not about making money or avoiding liability.
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 reduced liability for vaccine manufacturers while establishing a compensation program for rare vaccine-related injuries. However, this legislation did not increase the number of vaccines recommended by the CDC.
Overall, the vaccine schedule has expanded by 1-2 vaccines per decade since the 1980s. This slow, methodical, scientific advance of immunization recommendations stands in stark contrast to concerns that vaccines are constantly being capriciously added to the schedule.
In the end, the growth in recommended vaccines reflects scientific advancements aimed at improving public health, not a profit-driven agenda tied to liability protections.
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Glossary words on this page
- Antigen
- Foreign substance (e.g., bacterium or virus) that is capable of causing an immune response in the body.
- Booster shots
- Additional doses of a vaccine needed periodically to remind the immune system how to fight a disease.
- Combination vaccine
- Combination vaccines take two or more vaccines that could be given individually and put them into one shot or oral dose.
- Diphtheria
- A highly contagious and sometimes fatal bacterial disease that causes mucous membrane inflammation, making breathing and swallowing difficult.
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- A bacterium that may result in severe respiratory infections, including pneumonia and other diseases such as meningitis.
- Hepatitis A
- A highly contagious viral disease people can catch eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection passed person-to-person through blood and other bodily fluids.
- Immune system
- The complex system in the body responsible for fighting disease.
Disclaimer
Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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